Journal of Human Security & Resilience

Threats to Human Security and Migration in Guatemala

Abstract

This study uses survey data gathered in Guatemala in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 to investigate the effects of crime victimization, personal insecurity, family income, personaleconomic situation, and national economic situation on Guatemalans’ intentions to migrate to another country. Findings from a logistic regression model suggest that Guatemalans who have been victims of crime and live in neighborhoods controlled by gangs are more likely to consider leaving for another country. The study also finds that a low total monthly household income and negative perceptions of the national economy increase intentions to migrate. Given these results, this study discusses important policy implications and offers suggestions for future research.

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Author(s)

Hugo Asencio

Hugo Asencio is Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Auburn University. Dr. Asencio also holds a Master's in International Relations and a Bachelor's in International Studies, both from Auburn University at Montgomery. His research focuses on public-sector ethics, management, human resource management, nonprofit organizations, and e-government. His work has appeared in Public Administration Quarterly, International Review of Public Administration, E-Government and Websites: A Public Solutions Handbook, Citizen 2.0: Public and Governmental Interaction through Web 2.0 Technologies, and PA Times. He is the lead editor and author of Cases on Strategic Social Media Utilization in the Nonprofit Sector (IGI Global, 2015). Dr. Asencio serves on the Council of the American Society for Public Administration Southern California Chapter. He teaches graduate courses in public-sector management, leadership, ethics, human resource management, and nonprofit management.

Elena Kulikov

Elena Kulikov is associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Administration, School of Business Administration and Public Policy at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She received a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; she also holds a Ph.D. in World History from the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia. She has Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in History from Moscow Pedagogical Institute, School of History. Dr. Kulikov’s research and teaching focuses on social policy, quantitative research methodology, organizational performance, and intellectual history of public administration. Her most recent work is about transitions from centrally-planned to market-based economies in China and Russia. Dr. Kulikov’s articles have been published in the Aging and Social Policy Journal, the Public Administration Journal and the Social Protection Journal.

Acknowledgement

The data used in this study were supplied by the Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University, which takes no responsibility for any interpretation of the data.